


The Kings who lived

by AryaSnow



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin, Game of Thrones (TV)
Genre: AU, Canon-Typical Violence, M/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-08-12
Updated: 2018-08-17
Packaged: 2019-06-26 09:14:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,051
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15660201
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AryaSnow/pseuds/AryaSnow
Summary: Renly Baratheon is dead. Or  is he?AU





	1. Prologue

It was royal court day at the Castle of Riverrun. The castle having been overturned to the King for the duration of his annual stay. Those days belonged to the public and were a continuation of a tradition from the days the king had still been the Lord of Storm’s End.

Even then he had held those court days as an unchanging fixture every three months and everyone no matter if they were a Lord or a scullery maid, family member or farmer's boy, could come into the great hall of the castle and put his or her grievances before Lord Renly.

He would listen carefully to each of their words and then decide. And those decisions were of a kind that made everyone walk away from court maybe not always happy but certain that the ruling was fair, and justice served.

And today the young ten boy Fen from the little hamlet of Quickwater in the western Riverlands had been allowed to accompany his father. They had travelled for three days on his father's old plough horse to reach the ancient stronghold of the Tullys.

 They and their village overlord a minor noble named Ser Marq Piper had decided to approach the king in a matter that had been causing strive for many moons now. There was a quarrel in the village about the ownership and therefore the income from the communal mill and oven.

Fen's father as the village elder had been asked to bring it to the attention of the King when he was holding court in Riverrun. And so now they stood here in this very big and impressive hall. Ser Marq on one side of the hall with the other nobles and they on the other with the farmers, smiths, merchants and others.

Fen was looking around in awe. His head tilted backwards so he could admire the intricate drawings on the ceiling. That was until the Lord Commander of the King's Guard, a famous knight whom he idolised, called upon them to step forward.

It was then that he saw the imposing figure of Renly Baratheon for the first time. He sat behind a simple desk, on a simple chair. Not a throne as Fen had imagined. It made him a little bit disappointed. In his mind a king belonged on a throne. Especially a king like Renly I.

Despite sitting he was very tall, the blue eyes appearing to be everywhere at once as they darted through the hall. The black hair was streaked with sliver and as Fen approached he could see the lines that time had left on his face.

The King might seem like a young man still, but he was already almost forty years old. Fen could see Ser Loras whispering quietly to the King as they approached, seemingly reading off a paper to his king. Who then turned his attention to the two men and one boy in front of the small dais upon which the desk stood.

As the king began to speak Fen noticed that the King's eyes were wandering for a long time as he addressed the men in front of him. Before finally coming to rest on a point slightly above his father's head. Fen was left wondering about that for the remainder of the hearing.

After the sentence was passed and both mill and oven given to the village council for their use, father and son bowed and left the throne room. Only now did he dare to ask his father why the King's eyes had been so weirdly out of focus.

His old man looked surprised at the question 'King Renly is almost blind due to a wound he sustained during the war of the five Kings. I thought you knew that? Seeing that you spend every waking hour reading that storybook the septon gave you instead of working.'

Fen shook his head ignoring his father’s scolding. 'But if he can't see how could he have done all those great deeds the stories tell about? All the fighting and sneaking around. Are they all made up then? The stories I mean.'

Once more his father shook his head. 'No Fen. He fought those wars. He did all those famous deeds the stories tell you about.’ Ban sighed heavily as memories caught up with him. ‘He, his Lord Commander, the Lord Hand, the King in the North and the Prince of Dorne. They all fought and won. And the Prince of Dorne couldn’t even ride a horse due to his gout.' Ban chuckled a little.

Fen chanced a look back into the hall as the heavy ironwood doors remained open throughout the time court was held. The Lord Commander and the King were talking, the white knight sitting next to his liege. He noticed that no papers lay before the king and documents were handed to the Lord Commander.

Turning to his father Ban once again, he asked, curiosity clear in his voice. 'How do you know all those things? They’re never mentioned in the stories.' And the old man smiled 'Of course they wouldn’t be. It would tarnish the reputation of those involved and the glory of victory.’

‘But I fought that war kid. From the very beginnings, the southern campaign of the Young Wolf and the siege at Storm’s End to the very last battle at Lannisport. It was a long and bloody war Fen and little glory in it. But we won and that is the most important part.'

Confusion shone in the young eyes. ‘But how could you have fought in both the Young Wolf’s campaign and the Siege of Storm’s End?’ Ban chuckled a little ‘I served Lord Hoster once. Then I was part of Lady Catelyn’s honour guard when she came to treat with Lord Renly. After the confusion and her flight, I stayed and never left Renly’s retinue again until the war was done.’

A new respect for his father shone in Fen's eyes as he eagerly asked. 'Will you tell me about it father? About the real war. About the things no song mentions.' He was curios as to why things weren’t put into the songs.

 The old man nodded gravely. 'If you really want and are willing to listen to the not so pretty things then I will my son. But be prepared that it might not at all correspond with the stories you know.' Fen nodded and so Ban told his story. All the way home and on many, many winter nights to come.

This is the story of the Kings who lived.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are always very welcome!


	2. A Peach

The streamers were flying high over the colourful tents below the walls of the ancient castle of Storm’s End. The camp under the sigil of the golden stag spreading for miles west of the castle while the much smaller and dingier camp flying the fiery heart lay to the north.

And while in Renly Baratheon’s camp the tents stood clustered together as their owner had been wont to put them up and busy camp inhabitants bustled between them, there was almost no movement at all between the orderly rows of Stannis military force.

Above it all the silent and intimidating walls of Storm’s End. Home to both army leaders, now on opposing sides, leading a war against each other for a throne that was occupied by a thirteen-year-old boy.

If one looked closer now they might be able to see two parties of several horsemen riding out and meeting in the no man’s land under the castle walls. Under the flapping banners Stannis and Renly Baratheon talked.

Each accompanied by their closest advisors. Next to Renly, mounted on a magnificent chestnut courser Ser Loras Tyrell sat scowling. One could see that he wasn’t happy about this meeting. Neither was the tall lady in blue armour to King Renly’s other side.

Not the lady in red robes on a pitch-black horse that seemed to smile but didn’t. Stannis teeth grinding was probably even heard by the castellan of Storm’s End, Ser Cortney Penrose who stood on the castle walls above them.

The only one who seemed to be amused by the entire scenario unfolding was Renly Baratheon. Trading barbs with his older brother and riling him up had always been one of his favourite past times.

This went as far as baiting the older into believing that he was drawing a weapon on him. Laughing at Stannis attempt to draw his own blade Renly stated ‘A man should never refuse to taste a peach. He may never get the chance again. Life is short, Stannis. Remember what the Starks say. Winter is coming.’

This had made Stannis so angry that the older had broken off the parley entirely and ridden away under the laughter of Ser Cortney and Renly’s party. That laughter had stuck in their throats as the red lady turned her horse around.

Her ominous ‘Look to your sins Lord Renly. For the night is dark and full of terrors.’ Sounded almost like a prophecy. Yet they only laughed as Renly leaned over to his Lord Commander and stated, ‘Now I know why Stannis found religion in his old age.’

Still laughing they had cantered back to the camp, Renly eating his peach. Loras next to him and Brienne right behind him. She was the only one who hadn’t laughed. Maybe because she didn’t understand.

Just as she didn’t understand the implication behind Renly’s request that Loras might help him pray that night. Insisting that she should be present to guard her King. It had taken Renly quite a while to convince her that indeed the Lord Commander was enough protection and that he himself was quite able to swing a sword.

And while Renly might be oblivious to the fact that she was head over heels crushing on him, Ser Loras definitely was as he closed the tent flap in her face. As she took up position in front of it his head reappeared ‘Alone means alone Brienne. Go.’ His voice was steel and reluctantly the tall woman moved away.

Yet it couldn’t have been too far for she was the first to arrive when the screams started. The king’s tent stood a little away from the others against a stone wall. To attack it an enemy would have had to fight his way through an entire army.

Or to come in a form nobody expected. Like a cold wind, a shadow that crept through the fabric unnoticed. To catch the king and his knight unawares as they were busy undressing each other, teasing each other one last time before the battle come morn.

And in the throws of passion it happened. Blood. Blood everywhere as the shadow fulfilled his evil command. A man, strong and full of life collapsing against the chest of his slightly smaller lover. Not even able to utter a shout as the life left the bright blue eyes.

It was then the screams started. When the knight collapsed under his king’s weight and sunk to the floor, cradling the lifeless body as the blood covered them both. The shadow long since had dissolved.

The screams brought others to the tent. The lady knight was the first. Backing away slowly from the scenario as she ran in panic. She would return later with the king’s wife and knight’s sister. A master was called. The Tyrell household guard formed u around the tent as screams turned to sobs.

As very faint and laboured breaths told of a little bit of life left within Renly Baratheon’s mangled chest. The deep gashes left by the otherworldly blade were quickly bound and the man wrapped in a shroud.

All this was arranged by the lady Margaery. Within two hours of the incident a small an unmarked caravan left the camp. A camp now under the command of Lord Randyll Tarly who quietly arranged for the soldiers to pack up and move to a different place far away.

By morning King Stannis orderly tent rows would be the only military presence left. The caravan en route to a safe place. From the outside it was nothing more than just one of the many military supply transports that crossed the Reach these days. Only this one moved in a different direction

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> gods I sound like a penny dreadful here. But now that everything is set up the story can start properly.
> 
> as always comments and kudos are most appreciated


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